Illumination
by 2old4fanfic
Summary: You know that house, the one with the extreme Christmas decorations, probably visible from space? Every town seems to have one. Bella is embarrassed enough by her over decorated house. How can she keep her cute study partner from finding out about the Swan seasonal excess lighting disorder? AH
1. Chapter 1

A Christmas Fic in two parts

**Illuminated**

* * *

Chapter 1

Crawling backwards on the plywood floor, Bella dragged the large plastic bin, labeled TS-220, across the garage loft. Six inches from the ladder a splinter stabbed her knee, through the denim of her favorite skinny jeans.

"Fudge it!"

"Bella," came Charlie's voice from the foot of the ladder, "No cursing while we're honoring the birth of Baby Jesus."

"I wasn't cursing. I said Fudge it."

Charlie reached up as she passed the bin down to him. "I know what you meant."

Bella sat on the edge of the platform and slowly pulled out the shard of wood. "I'm bleeding."

"That's the last one, right?" Charlie answered himself as he left the garage carrying the container.

"I'm fine up here, Dad. No worries. Happy Baby Jesus has all three _hundred _Toy Soldiers, cause two hundred ninety nine wouldn't do the job." Ignoring the hole in her jeans for the moment, Bella climbed down the ladder.

Walking past the empty containers stacked over her head on both sides of the garage, she emerged to see Jacob Black in the Forks fire department's cherry picker backing up to Mrs. Cope's fifty foot tall pine tree. He waved and smiled his ultra white grin at her. She was never impressed with his chemically enhanced teeth or his cheesy pick up lines; the same could not be said for most of her former high school classmates. He was good looking, but he knew it; he didn't walk, he swaggered. Every time he tried to lure her in with one of his innuendo laden lines, she felt a little nauseous. Sure he was helping her Dad with decorations, but so was the assistant deputy Mark, who moonlighted as an electrician, and the head dispatcher Tyler, who was still programming the music for the display. They didn't feel the need to leer at Bella whenever she walked by.

The back-up beeping of the truck stopped. "Hey Bella, you're the star of my dreams baby!" Jake, wearing his too tight Forks Fire Department tee shirt, held out the wooden star as he raised himself in the bucket to the top of the tree. Shaking her head, she ignored him for the thousandth time.

Bella had heard that in some towns people putting up crazy Christmas displays were hauled into court by other people trying to stop the excess. Not here. Charlie's neighbors loved the lights, and when the collection overflowed the Swan yard, they volunteered their own homes. Mrs. Cope's yard had the life sized Nativity including four camels, a dozen sheep, three (live) goats, two cows, and a stable you could walk through. Mr. Banner and the Brandons to the left hosted scenes from 'The Night Before Christmas', with a Santa and a team of reindeer that took off from the lawn to the roof every ten minutes. The Swan front yard was the North Pole with Santa's workshop, a ride-on train, Candyland and a carousel with the never seen in nature combination of polar bears and penguins. Starting October first every year, Charlie began the set up, bringing the larger items from the various barns they were stored in across Callum county. The garage had been taken over long ago, filled with boxes and crates carefully marked with Charlie's code. Each weekend Charlie's crew of volunteers worked to create the craziness that had overtaken Bella's home. The toy soldiers were almost the last things to be put out, but Bella couldn't stay to watch the last decorations put into place.

"Char—Dad. I'm meeting my partner to work on our final project."

Charlie looked up from the junction box he and Mark were wrapping. Every connection needed to be watertight against the Fork's weather. "Now why can't that boy meet you here?"

"He lives in Port Angeles. It's easier to meet at the school." Bella didn't need to share the crazy that was her home this time of year. Sure, some people thought it was great, but there were just as many people who thought only lunatics spent thousands of hours and dollars on a Christmas display. This was the kind of thing you needed to introduce to someone slowly, preferably staring in February when everything had been packed away, and after a couple of months of building a relationship, gently break the news about the little family obsession. Bella hoped by August, if this boy was still around, he would like her enough not to run screaming when the blueprints for the coming display were tacked up around the kitchen.

Rubbing her knee, she decided to ignore the hole in her jeans, and headed down the street to her truck. Of course, there was no room to park in front of her house, let alone the driveway. As she walked over the lawn, picking carefully through the grid of extension cords and miles of strung lights, the familiar gentle whirring of the fans that kept the gang of snowpeople inflated surrounded her. The sound was now as much part of the holiday as the incessant glow of the lights outside her bedroom window, despite the blackout shades. Climbing into the red heap, she looked back as Charlie limped across the lawn to tend to the blowup archway.

She didn't grow up like this, with the wackiest house in town. She barely remembered those early years in Forks. The few pictures she had were of a little girl in some version of a red or green dress, in front of an average sized Christmas tree. Then she and her mother took off, ping ponged across a few states, finally landing in Arizona.

Eight years ago, she and Renee were enjoying their typically atypical Christmas Eve. The large potted cactus had been moved inside, draped ironically with red-chili pepper lights. Her mother wanted nothing to do with tradition, making a point of mocking the mall Christmas decorations as being only for people who were slaves to cultural stereotypes. Renee tried so hard to be on-trend in her studied non-conformity. Back then Bella wouldn't have minded a little old school Christmas cheer.

She remembered like it was yesterday, the Christmas Eve everything changed. Bella was putting the enchiladas in the oven while Renee was mixing margaritas. The phone rang.

"That had better not be Phil calling to cancel." Renee swished her skirt and she crossed the kitchen to the phone on the wall. "I was planning on giving him a very _special _Christmas present."

At twelve, Bella hadn't understood exactly what Renee was planning for her new boyfriend, but she didn't like the sound of it.

"Feliz Navidad!," Renee chirped as she picked up the line. Another annoying thing; Renee pretending that she spoke Spanish, when in fact she knew a handful of phrases that mostly involved ordering food.

Setting the oven timer Bella turned to see her mother pale, leaning against the wall. "Oh my God, oh, okay, okay, I just need to get a pen..."

Bella found a sharpie by the sink and put it into Renee's outstretched hand. Ignoring the paper Bella held out to her, her mother started writing on the wall. _Harborview Hospital, Seattle. _

"Yes, we'll be there as soon as possible, yes, we're coming." Renee hung up the phone, turning to Bella. "Pack a small bag, we're going to Seattle." Her mother darted around the kitchen like a madwoman, turning off the stove, dumping the margaritas in the sink and then running down the hall.

"What happened? What's going on?" Bella followed her mother. She didn't think Renee knew anyone in Seattle; her mother wanted nothing to do with 'the soggiest, dreariest place on this planet', as she'd stated many times.

Renee was already in her room stuffing underwear into a backpack. "_Bella_, I said to go pack."

Crossing her arms Bella dropped to the bed. "Not 'til you tell me what's going on."

Instead of yelling, Renee took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulder. "It's bad. Char-your dad has been in an accident with a logging truck. As soon as they get him out, they're air lifting him to Seattle, to the trauma center."

Before Bella could take in the information, the doorbell rang.

"Good," Renee said, "Phil can drive us to the airport."

That night Bella must have heard the word 'miracle' a hundred times. At the airport in Phoenix there were two seats left on a direct flight to Seattle, leaving in minutes. A Seattle police department squad car was waiting for them when they arrived and whisked them to the hospital. The head trauma surgeon was on call as a favor to a friend, and was waiting for the chopper to land. The storm had cleared, allowing the helicopter to get there in record time.

The inebriated driver of the log truck had been killed, but Charlie's squad car had slid next to some boulders, so the falling logs formed a lean-to over the vehicle. His right leg had been crushed, trapping him in the car as the rescue teams worked to extract him from the tremendous log fortress. A construction crane had been en-route to Forks; the accompanying crew helped dismantle the logs in what an officer described as 'a giant game of pick-up sticks'.

Less than five hours from the phone call Bella was holding her father's hand on one side of the gurney, Renee on the other, as they carted him into surgery.

In the waiting room, Renee sat with her hands over her face, Bella leaning into her side. For the first time in her memory she could hear her mother whispering prayers. One by one, members of the Fork's police department, fire department and first aid squad arrived, until the room was filled with uniforms and heavy weather gear.

A woman in scrubs walked in with a clipboard. "Family of Charles Swan?"

Renee jumped up. "That's my husband!"

Bella couldn't remember her mother ever calling Charlie that. It was mostly 'your father' or 'that Charlie' or 'my ex.' She didn't have long to consider Renee's words as they were escorted into a small room. The doctor explained that Charlie had significant blood loss, eleven pins in his leg, but he would live. She and Renee began sobbing in relief.

Two weeks later they were back in Phoenix, packing up their rental house. Charlie and Renee had remarried the night before in the hospital chapel. Renee said she promised God that if he let Charlie live, she'd show the world her appreciation. And for the newly re-minted Renee Swan, that meant Christmas decorations that seemed to multiply exponentially every year.

And as for Bella's sane, predictable, practical father? The miracle for him that night was that the woman he'd loved all his life, came back to him to stay. He threw himself into Renee's new crazy, organizing extension cords and town permits as needed to make her pledge come true.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was hard to find a parking spot large enough for her beast on a normal day, but with finals approaching, the Peninsula College library parking lot was packed with last minute scholars. After driving up and down the lot, Bella resigned herself to the overflow lot, which was more like a muddy field, open only on busy days like this. Finding a space, Bella gathered her back pack and picked her way across the soggy grass, avoiding the puddles. Watching her feet, she didn't notice the Jeep barreling across the field until it nearly sideswiped her. The vehicle didn't hit her, but the wave of mud it left in it's wake soaked her from the thighs down.

"SLOW DOWN," she yelled after the Jeep, which didn't even brake. _Great, serves me right for trying to look cute_. She'd worn flats instead of her usual work boots. Her partner was just so…so perfect. He held up his end of the research, had a great sense of humor, and agreed to meet every week for the last month, even though most of their work could have been done online. And he was cute, so cute. Bella thought just maybe he was a little interested in her as well.

She dripped through the lobby to the small bathroom near the library entrance. After ten paper towels her jeans looked wet with some odd kind of wash, instead of caked in mud. Folding paper towels to fit into the bottom of her shoes, she now felt unpleasantly moist, instead of soaking. _I suppose this is an improvement. At least I'm not leaving a trail._

Exiting the elevator on the third floor, Bella was amazed at the number of students filling the place; every chair was taken and students sat on the floor and on the windowsills. In the back corner, standing by their table in faded jeans a green flannel shirt and work boots, was Edward. She was so happy to see him she didn't realize that their table was already fully occupied. He smiled up at her.

Surely that smile was more than a 'great she's here and we can finally finish this project' smile, right? She'd forgotten to move, watching him cross the floor to her. His strides were long, smooth, and graceful, even with those big boots on his feet. In seconds he was in front of her.

Oh, right. She was supposed to speak.

"Uh, looks kinda crowded, huh?" _Brilliant, Bella_. Could you state the obvious some more, maybe say something about the rain, like it didn't rain six days a week.

"I checked the whole library. Every table is taken." Edward shrugged his shoulders. "I thought if I stood menacingly enough, the group at our table would take the hint and leave. No such luck."

Bella smiled, looking at his shaggy red hair. It was a mess, but clean and soft looking. She wanted to touch it…oh, she should say something, right? That's why he was looking at her with his eyebrows raised, waiting for some kind of response. _Good Bella, he doesn't have to meet your wacko parents, you're doing a fine job of chasing him off yourself_.

"There's a diner not far from here, we could try there. It's the Fairmont Diner." Bella stammered, "On Fairmont. You could follow—"

"I know where it is." Edward was already moving towards the elevator. "I overheard someone say it's really crowded too." Edward pressed the button for the lobby with those long fingers. His hands were so nice, not too soft, they looked manly, like he knew how to work. His hands were really a marvel, just wide enough—

"Bella," he said loudly. She guessed this wasn't the first time he'd said it. "Can we finish this at your house?"

* * *

**a/n: Second half by Monday**.


	2. Chapter 2

**Illuminated**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

"Uh, you know, um…" Bella stalled.

She didn't want Edward to think she didn't want him at her house; just not for the three months before and month after Christmas. "My dad has some friends over and they're doing work on the house…it's kinda loud." Okay, that wasn't exactly a lie. Everything she said was true, she just didn't disclose that the work involved tiny elves and scores of plastic candy canes.

"Oh." Edward stood, rubbing the back of his neck.

Bella had a brilliant idea. "Why don't we go to your house?"

"That would be great another time but my little sister is having her seventh birthday party. Talk about loud." Edward rolled his eyes.

Having second and third thoughts about what kind of big brother would skip out on his seven year old sister's birthday party, and what kind of guy Edward must be if that's what he was doing, Bella spoke her mind. "Shouldn't you be there?"

"No, it's her party with her friends. She was born on Christmas Eve, so she can't have a party on her actual birthday. We have a family thing that day."

Bella felt a little bad at how quickly she'd judged him. Forgiven or not, that didn't solve their lack of study space. "Why don't we try the diner? Maybe we'll get lucky."

Edward grinned. "Maybe we will."

Get lucky? _Great Bella_, why don't you just strip in front of the boy and show off your ta-tas? She turned to hide the blush she felt blooming in her cheeks. "I'm parked in the overflow lot; I'll meet you at the diner."

She didn't wait for him, hoping her red face would fade. She hurried, trying to avoid a mud bath this trip across the grass.

oOoOoOo

At the diner Edward's Volvo was guarding a nice wide corner spot. He pulled away to a space at the front of the building, allowing Bella to park the beast comfortably for a change. It took her a moment to re-gather her materials. Bumping the door closed with her hip, she saw Edward point towards the entrance as he hustled in to put their names down for a table.

A pack of football players and cheerleaders were vacating their section of the diner. As the sea of varsity jackets and short skirts passed Bella, she felt like her luck had finally changed.

It was so easy with Edward. As they discussed who would present which bit of data, they were perfectly in sync. Their laptops were back to back on the table; Edward had ordered more coffee and a burger with double fries. "This is silly," he announced as he stood and slid into the booth on her side, turning his laptop so the screens were side by side.

He pointed to computer, "There, that's better, right?"

Bella nodded her head in agreement, more because the side of his long thigh was pressing against her leg. He didn't seem conscious of their proximity, but she felt every pulse of blood that streamed down that leg, super heated by the presence of his denim clad lower half.

_Focus_, Bella, _focus_. Why did she feel like she lost fifty IQ points in his presence? She was an intelligent, strong, independent woman, not a simpering little girl. _Suck it up Bella, _again, great choice of words. She shook her head against her idiocy.

"I thought that's how you wanted to do it?" Edward curved his head down to look into her face.

_Great, now he thinks I can't make up my mind! _"I was just thinking about something else. My parents have this thing tonight; I have to help out."

"I have to do some family thing tonight too."

As the extra cheery waitress arrived with Edward's order, she leaned forward to super helpfully get him the catsup, which was already on our table, bringing it over to Edward's plate, while giving him a side order of boobs for free. Bella was sure the girl's uniform wasn't open that much when they first sat down. Maybe Edward made everyone stupid.

She ignored the leg contact, the flirty waitress and Edward's leather-pine smell and focused on coordinating their presentation. They really did work well together; in a few minutes it was done.

"Fries?" Edward moved the plate over.

Bella looked up. "I thought you wanted them?"

"I got a double order. Whenever we come here, my sister says she doesn't want fries, then eats half of mine."

"I'm not a fry snitcher."

"I didn't say you were. I thought you might be hungry."

She was hungry, they made really good fries here and he was offering. She wasn't one of those girls who wouldn't eat in front of a boy, but she also didn't want to look …why was she over analyzing everything? She took a fry.

He sat back, his arm stretched behind her on the back of the booth. "We should do this again some time."

Not knowing what she was agreeing to, Bella answered, "Definitely."

What did he mean by that? Do another project together? Or did he mean go to the diner and share fries? As in a date? Had this segued from a school project meeting to a date while she wasn't looking?

She glanced over at him. She'd be happy to do another project with him; their meetings had become the highlight of her week. A date would be even better, but she knew almost nothing about him. Little sister, check. Big brother, check. Interest in environmental science, check. Lives in Port Angeles, lived in Seattle, check. Drives a Volvo, check. That was it. She guessed relationships had been made from less, but what did he know about her? Probably the same vanilla facts, but not about the big, glittery, could-be-seen-from-space white elephant that was her house. Leave it to Renee, and eventually they would have an elephant on display. If it was up to her mother she wouldn't stop until the entire town of Forks was blanketed in little twinkly lights.

Edward wouldn't take her money for the check. She watched as he walked up to the register to pay their tab. He'd taken off the flannel shirt earlier, so the view of his jean clad ass and long legs was unobstructed. She decided that after their presentation the day after tomorrow, she'd invite him out for a celebratory pizza or something to make up for it. That would be entirely appropriate, two colleagues celebrating a job well done, right? And if it turned into a date, all the better.

Walking out to their vehicles, Bella felt light. This project would go well, they both knew their stuff; she'd dodged bringing Edward to her house, for now. He was escorting her to her truck, an unspoken kindness he just did without asking. When she was safely buckled in he smiled, shut the door and gave a double tap against the window with his knuckles.

He was nice, he was sweet, he was smart, he was…comfy. She'd dated before but those had all been anxiety ridden affairs; she survived them. She'd never enjoyed a single date as much as she did their burger and project meeting today. Bella had a warm feeling that they could be something together, something lasting. She glanced down to check her phone to see Renee's latest message about being home by four, but glanced back up, wanting to watch the last little bit of him before he drove off.

Before he could get into his car, a Jeep, a mud spattered Jeep, pulled up and stopped, blocking him in. A woman with long blonde hair got out and strode directly to Edward, stopping within inches of his face, well within his personal space.

There're different kinds of ways of approaching someone, based on how well you know them. The first, for someone you kind of know, is the little wave or head nod, then approaching slowly, maintaining that invisible cushion of air between you. The second kind, a bit more familiar, where you go for the half hug or air kiss, but bounce right back to your side of that understood socially accepted space. Then there was the greeting of people who knew each other extremely well, where they went right into conversation without a pause, huddled close together, the understanding that they shared something completely taken for granted. That last way, that was how the blonde approached Edward, immediately talking close to his ear, using rapid hand movements, pushing against his shoulder with one hand. The woman jumped back suddenly from Edward, swiftly going to the Jeep and retrieving a pink striped bag—Bella may not have an extensive wardrobe of lingerie, but even she recognized the Victoria's Secret bag. Shoving the bag in Edward's hand, the blonde kissed him on the cheek and got back into the still running Jeep. She hadn't even turned off her car! What kind of girlfriend for an environmental science major, a girl who left that gas-guzzzling thing idling while she whispered her secrets in his ear?

For surely, that's what she was. A guy as perfect as Edward, it was now obvious to Bella, had to have a beautiful girlfriend. Here Bella was thinking that the two of them had some chemistry, but—a car honked behind her, looking for her spot. She looked back to her own business, hoping to avoid observing any cutesy waving or private signs between Edward and his beautiful but rude girlfriend.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Alice stirred Nutella into the small pan of milk as it simmered on the stove. "You're going to love this; I just saw it on Pintrest."

Bella supposed there were worse addictions than Pintrest, but Alice annoyingly sent some post involving recycled wrapping paper or tuna cans or bed sheets on an hourly basis. At least this idea was edible.

Pouring the hot liquid into two Santa mugs, Alice squirted whipped cream into each then sprinkled a careful dose of cinnamon on top. She took a picture with her phone; unsatisfied, she moved one mug slightly in front of the other and stuck candy canes into the whipped cream.

Bella whined, "I'm trying to share my heartbreak here and all you can think about is instagramming everything!"

Picking up a mug, Alice took a sip, licked the whipped cream off her lip and smiled. "So good. I'm all yours, at least until we have to get into costume in…twelve minutes. Spill."

"It was like that moment watching Wheel of Fortune, when you absolutely know the answer, but everyone keeps calling stupid letters and you want to yell at the TV for them to open their eyes. Sitting in my truck, I realized that Edward is perfect for me, then out of the blue, this blonde…"

"Vanna?"

"Sure, this Vanna shows up and it's just not fair. And he wanted to come to my house and I couldn't let him see...He's so easy to talk to and I'm so comfortable with him." Bella slumped back into her chair, feeling defeated.

"Guys who are in relationships don't put out that 'I want to hump you now' vibe. Maybe that's why you were so comfortable with him. He's kind of the anti-Jake."

"That makes me feel better."

"Sweetie," Alice rubbed Bella's shoulder. "I could lie to you, but that's what I think. That said, a girlfriend is not a wife or a fiancée. Maybe he like you too and wants to break things off with her?"

"His body language wasn't saying 'back off bitch'."

"Finish your hot cocoa Annie. You're seeing him in a few days. Let me work some magic on you and he'll be saying 'Vanna who?' in no time."

* * *

**A/N: I know how FedEx and UPS feel, failing to deliver their packages in time for Christmas. I overestimated my capacity to do Christmas and finish this fic. So sorry. That said, I'm also awfully wordy, so this won't be two chapters, most likely four. Don't worry, I punished myself already by not reading reviews, I obviously didn't deserve them!**


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